BENTONVILLE -- Organizers of First Baptist Church's annual clothing giveaway will collect donations next week for the popular event.
Donations can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Family Life Center, 200 S.W. A St. The giveaway will be from 7 a.m. to noon Aug. 2 at the Family Life Center.
The event is an outreach of the church's Women's Ministry. It usually draws around 1,000 people a year, according to organizers.
"We have such a response to this event that they start lining up the night before," said Pamela Arrington, volunteer.
Children's clothing is the most needed, but organizers will gather adult men's and women's clothing, as well.
"So many people are looking for back-to-school wear," Arrington said. "That always goes really quickly."
Children's clothing is so popular families are limited to 20 items, said Lesa Johnson, chairwoman of the event. Families can then circle back in line to get more children's clothing. People are welcome to "take what they need" of the adult clothing, she said.
There's no income qualification for those who participate in the giveaway, Johnson said. People are welcome to come if it will benefit them.
It takes 150 to 200 volunteers to gather and sort clothes throughout the week and facilitate the one-day event, Johnson said.
Volunteers put in about 1,500 hours to make the giveaway a success, Arrington said. Some people are there every day for 12 hours.
"It's grown. It just amazes me every year where the clothing comes from," Johnson said. "We just get more every year."
The giveaway started 12 years ago in a small room at the church. It's since been expanded into multiple areas, including the Family Life Center and the chapel, Johnson said.
"We give it all away in five hours," she said.
The clothing giveaway is the largest community outreach of the Women's Ministry, said Lorrel Lyles, Women's Ministry director.
It started after the former director brought the idea back from a conference, Lyles said. It started small, but grew quickly, she said.
"This event is by far one of the most important things that our Women's Ministry does each year," Lyles wrote in an email. "We can be the hands and feet of Jesus."
Arrington encouraged those who plan to donate items to bring them by early in the week to allow volunteers time to organize them before the event.
"So frequently we don't get the bulk of the clothing until Thursday and Friday," she said.
NW News on 07/26/2014